1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a gas chromatography chip and a multi-layered gas chromatography chip assembly thereof, and more particularly to a gas chromatography chip produced through multi-etching, and a multi-layered gas chromatography chip assembly obtained by stacking the gas chromatography chips.
2. Description of the Related Art
Chromatography refers to an analysis technology for precisely separating components from a multi-component mixture including not only a simple mixture, but also a very complex mixture.
The chromatography may be variously classified according to types of stationary phases, in particular, types of mobile phases (moving phases).
The chromatography may be classified into a gas chromatography and a liquid chromatography according to types of mobile phases. In the present invention, a description of a liquid chromatography will be omitted.
The gas chromatography technology uses the characteristics in which a trace of a mobile phase is left on a stationary phase according to an attractive force or a suction force of a mixture contained in the mobile phase with respect to the stationary phase if the mobile phase in which the mixture is dispersed is moved through the stationary phase.
That is, according to the gas chromatography technology, the mixture to be separated is contained in the mobile phase.
The mixture components are moved through the stationary phase, and the components constituting the mixture are separated while being moved through the stationary phase.
The gas chromatography is especially convenient, prompt, and highly sensitive, and has a high resolution for a thermally stable volatile material.
By using the chromatography, the components of an arbitrary mixture can be precisely separated.
Then, in the case of a gas chromatography chip for analyzing a very complex mixture, a resolution difference is generated by an entire length of a micro channel, that is, a stationary phase, and a polarity formed in the micro channel (stationary phase).
Meanwhile, a gas chromatography chip manufactured according to the related art employs a dry reactive ion etching (DRIE) technique.
Hereinafter, a method of imprinting a desired pattern on a substrate (wafer) will be briefly described.
In order to imprint a desired pattern on a substrate, (1) a substrate suitable for imprinting a pattern is prepared and a thin film is formed on the substrate by using a material suitable for etching, (2) a pattern to be imprinted on the substrate, that is, a design is prepared, and (3) a desired pattern is imprinted by removing an unnecessary portion from the thin film formed on the substrate according to the pattern drawn in the design by using etching equipment.
The imprinting of a pattern may be classified into a dry etching technique and a wet etching technique.
The DRIE technique is a dry etching technique, in which an etching gas that reacts with a substrate (wafer) is converted into a plasma state and the etching gas having the plasma state collides with the substrate to etch a portion of the substrate through the combination of a physical impact and a chemical reaction between the etching gas and components of the substrate.
The dry etching technique uses a complex apparatus, which makes the technique troublesome and causes excessive costs.
Meanwhile, a wet etching technique refers to a technology of allowing chemicals or chemical materials to flow on a surface of a substrate to remove an unnecessary portion from a thin film formed on the surface of the substrate, and can employs a relatively simple and inexpensive apparatus as compared with the dry etching technique.
A technology related to the present invention is disclosed in Korean Patent Registration No. 10-0243995 (issued on Feb. 1, 2000).